Intermittent glow lamp



7 Feb. 8,1927.

I C. F. LORENZ INTERMITTENT GLOW LAMP Filed March 17, 1923 INVENTORCHARLES E LORENZ- ATTORNEY g helium, neon,

5 causing 55 space relation for example Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES I 1,617,065 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FREDERICK LORENZ,

OF EAST bRANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '.[0 WEST- INGHOUSE LAMP COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

INTERMITTENT GLOW LAMP.

Application filed March 17, 1923..

. This invention relates to electrical devices and more particularly tolamps, such as glow or discharge lamps, inwhich a gas or a mixture ofgases constitutes the light-producing 5 medium.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and practicalintermittentglow lamp.

Another object is to providea glow lamp 0 which may automaticallyoperate to alternately el'lect a contact aal a separation of the cathodeand the anode A further object is to provide a device to make and breakan electrical circuit without the, employment of metallic contacts.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent. upon a reading of thedescription.

A glow lamp, as known in the. art, usually comprises a sealed envelopecontaining argon or other gas at suitable pressure. Within the envelope,and properly spaced from each other, an anode and a cathode are sodisposed that a comparatively low voltage will produce a discharge thecathode to become enveloped n a glow.

- Owing to the low wattage attainable in lamps of this character, theyare suite l for use in connection with advertising devices so or othernovel forms of colored luminosity.

For the purpose of adding to the attractiveness of lamps, particularlywhen used for advertising purposes, it is proposed to provide for theirintermittent operation, that is, to provide a lamp having meansincorporated therewith whereby the lamp may be alternately lighted andextinguished. This intermittent action also serves to cut. down thewattage, which result is of eco- 4o nomical advantage when the lamp isused,

for instance, as a night lamp for domestic service.

My invention, therefore,

aims to provide an internal structure for a glow lamp which will operateto niake-and-break the circuit,

thereby causing an intermittent glow Gas lamps of the type to which myinvention relates, are operable when the electrodes thereof are disposedin given space relation,

' the space over which a discharge will travel being generallydetermined by the nature and pressure of the gas within the lamp. a lampis designed to operate on say a 920 volt line with the electrodes at adefinite 2 mm. apart in Serial No. 625,778.

quently, the glow or light source will be absent.

The present invention takes advantage of this characteristic andprovides a movable electrode, preferably the anode adapted to beactuated by the heat created during the discharge to elfect a movementof the anode and intermittently change the space relation between theelectrodes, thereby causing an intermittent glow. An automaticarrangement for operating the electrode may consist in the incorporationof a section of thermostatic metal in the conductor upon which the anodeis mounted.

The normal position of the anode may be such that, when the connectionis made to the electric supply line, a dischargebetween the electrodeswill occ The heat created by and during the di s gharge then will actupon the thermostatic section which will flex, and the anode will thusbe moved from the cathode a sufiicient distance to break the circuit andterminate the glow.

Although the heat-has caused the thermostatic strip to bend and increasethe distance between the cathode and the anode, the current is notstopped immediately but continues to flow until the gap has attained acertain length, the length at which the current ceases being greaterthan the maximum gap which will allow starting. The anodically connectedterminal therefore becomes positioned so far away from the cathode thatconsiderable cooling must occur before the anode is close enough for adischarge to take place. This slightly excessive distance attainedbetween the electrodes provides for on and off time intervals, sinceshort time intervals are required for heating and for cooling.

Although the present invention may be utilized to provide anintermittent glow lamp which may be employed for general illumination orfor advertising purposes, other uses may be found for such lamp. Forinstance, the intermittent glow lamp f may be employed as a means forinterrupt ing the current or for operating a relay in connection, withrelatively large currents. If used for this purpose, it is desirable toprovide the lamp with an atmosphere of either argon, helium or neon,neon being preferable when the lamp is used for display purposes alone.

The invention will be more fully under stood by reference to theaccompanying drawings in'which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a lamp .embodying the presentinvention; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a.

'nected to a leading-in conductor 12.

For the purpose of automatically moving the anode 7, a strip 13 ofthermostatic metal may be disposed between the support mem- -ber 11 andthe anode proper. Thus, the

thermostatic metal may constitute a portion of the support member, but,by reason of its flexure during variations in tem erature, operates tomove the anode to and rom the cathode. The lamp may be provided with theusual screw plu 14 for attachment to the standard socket 1n thecustomary manner.

The normal space relation of the electrode may be such that a dischargewill occur when aswitch or key 15 (see Fig. 2) is actuated and a currentis permitted to flow from any suitable source, as, for instance, agenerator 16 and thus a glow will be.pro-- duced. The thermostaticelement will bend by reason of the effect of the heat upon the twometals, of which the element is composed, Which have differentcoefficients of expansion.

The thermostatic element, being positioned with the side havingthegreater coefiicient of expansion toward the cathode, will bend the anodeaway from the cathode until a suilicient distance has been attained toterminate the discharge, whereupon a reverse action will take place asthe element cools.

A make-and-break is thus providedin the circuit without the necessity ofany engagement between the electrodes, thus, the disadvanta e of slightarcing and, the deterioration ecause of pitting and sticking by weldingwhich attends other make-.and-break devices, is avoided. As shown in.Fig. 2, this intermittent circuit breaker may be applied to increase ordecrease the; luminosity of a plurality of lamps, as, for instance, theamps of an advertising sign. As illustrated, several lamps 18 may beconnected, by what maybe termed a subsidiary circuit, to the electricalsource 16. Such circuit may comprise conductors 19 and 21 and conductor22 which is connected to an armature 23 of a relay 24, the armature 23being adaptedto make contact with a return conductor 25 connected toconductor 26.

The lam 4; may be disposed in what may be termed a main circuit, and oneelectrode, as, for instance, the electrode 7 of the lamp 4, may beconnected to the source of electrical energy 16 by the conductor 26. Theother electrode 6 of the lamp may be connected to one end of the coil 27of the relay 24 by a conductor 28, the other end of the coil beingconnected to the source of electrical energy by the conductor 19. Thuswhen the current'flows through the coil 27 and thence through the lamp,creating a dis charge and glow, the coil 27 is energized, and thearmature 23 is moved to separate contact surface 31 thereof from acontact surface 32 connected to the conductor 25.

metal will then, by reason of the drop in temperature, move to positionfor a repetition of the discharge, whereupon the coil will be energizedand the subsidiary or lamp circuit be broken.

The operation of intermittently lighting a plurality of lamps is therebyautomatic and of an efiicient and practical nature. Although the lamp 4is shown as operating to actuate a relay, it is obvious that onlowcurrent circuits it may operate directly to control certainelectrical devices. The lamp, as shown, may be operated on a lightingcircuit, in conjunction with a suitable resistance 34 which is rovidedas indicated.

Although the oregoing description and accompanying drawings set forthand illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is obviousthat other modifications may be made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A discharge lamp comprising an envelope, a .pair of electrodessupported in said envelope in a normal predetermined space relation, agas in said envelope at such pressure that a relatively low voltage willcause a discharge between said electrodes when disposed in said normalspaced relation, and means for automatically increasing the spacebetween said electrodes at distance suflicient to terminate saiddischarge.

2. A discharge lamp comprising an envelope having twoelectrodes, supportmemno r hers forf normally maintaining said eleetrodes in apredetermined space relation, a gas in said envelope at such pressurethatla relativelylow voltage will cause a discharge between theelectrodes, and means associated with one of said support members forautomatieally moving the electrode mounted thereon to increase the spacebetween said electrodes sufliciently to terminate the dischargetherebetween.

3. A glow lamp having a cathode, means for supporting said cathode in agiven position, an anode normally positioned in such proximity to saidcathode as to permit a discharge therebetween, and means associated withsaid anode affected by the heat during the operation of said lamp tomove the anode a suificient distance from the cathode to terminate saidoperation.

4. A dischar e lamp comprising an envelope, a pair 0 electrodessupported in said envelope in a normal predetermined space relation, agas in said envelope at such pressure that a relatively low voltage willcause a discharge between said electrodes when disposed m'said normalspaced relation, and

a thermostat for automatically increasing the space between saidelectrodes a distance suflicient to terminate said discharge.

5. A discharge lamp comprising an envelope having two electrodes,support members for normally maintaining said electrodes, in apredetermined space relation, 21

gas in said envelope at such pressure that a relatively low voltage willcause a discharge between the electrodes, and a thermostat associatedwith one of said support members for automatically moving the electrodemounted thereon to increase the space between said electrodessufiiciently to terminate the discharge therebetween.

6. A glow lamp having a cathode, means for supporting said cathode'in agiven position, an anode normally positioned a predetermined distancefrom said cathode, and a thermostat associated with said anode in suchmanner that heat during the operation of said lamp causes the anode tomove a sufficient distance from the cathode to terminate said operation.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 16th day ofMarch,

CHARLES FREDERICK LORENZ.

